Something Old, Something New
by xmellyxox
Summary: ok, absolute fluff, i dont really know what i was thinking when i thought of this, and its just kind of gone this way but heyho its fiction! please review it, no copyright intended
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **  
Rachel ran into the briefing room, 10minutes late - as usual. She looked away from prying eyes such as Kevin, and ignored the glare Godzilla was giving her.  
She couldn't think of anything today, today was too special to her, too important, and filled with too many memories.  
She remembered this day - 5 years ago, a friend, who was only 13 at the time, her brother was 10. Their mom had done exactly what Rachel's had done - ran off without looking back.  
Rachel was the FLO for this family, their dad was killed in a car crash after he was being chased by some drunken twats with the IQs of a pork pie, how devastated that family had been - not only with the bereavement of the dad, but the fact only 2 weeks after his death, the mother had done a runner because she 'couldn't cope'.  
This poor girl, she had no life from then on! Losing both her parents in the space of a month, and although she lived with her Nan, she was still responsible for her brother - so mothered him, like theirs hadn't.  
Rachel's daydream was snatched from her was she could hear Gill scream at her. She could tell she was worried about her, but she had to keep the team focused on today's murder.  
Gill spoke 'Blond woman,52, quite short found dead in her home quarter past five this morning, neighbor Just came back from night shift and saw the door was open - he called upstairs, looked around and with no reply rang us'  
'Has she been identified?' Asked Mitch, busy making notes on what was jotted on the board.  
Gill replied 'CSI's are looking around the house for any personal items that could help, but not at the moment' at that moment Andy's phone rang, he jumped up and walked out the room to answer his call.  
He walked back in a few minutes later and said, 'the woman has been identified, we will need a family member to make a formal ID but they're confident our victim is Nora Jones'  
Rachel's head shot up. She had been slumped over her notepad until now - but she was fully alert. That name rang a bell, where had she heard that before? Was it someone she knew? No, it couldn't be - or could it? Was her mind just playing tricks on her - she hadn't got a great night sleep last night - Sean's little boy had been staying over, Haydn. He kept coming in in the night because he was having nightmares. She thought nothing of it, until later...  
Janet looked at her face - she knew something was wrong she couldn't ask her though, not whilst Gill was still explaining the format of what was going to happen.  
Half an hour later, after everyone had been assigned their jobs and went off to collect CCTV and witness statements, it was Janet and Rachel's job to deliver the death message.  
On any normal day Rachel hated this, but today it was made worse by the flashbacks that kept coming back from 5 years ago, that poor little girl, whose life had been changed forever, and she was forced to forget about her childhood and grow up to be responsible for her brother.  
The car journey was silent, Rachel busy with her thoughts and Janet listening to Heart FM. After what seemed like ages Janet spoke; 'are you ok? You don't seem yourself today'  
Rachel lied and said she was fine, but deep down she really wasn't, and Janet knew it.  
They pulled up outside the block of flats, it was quite modern, they looked well looked after and the area didn't seem that rough. They went up onto the third floor, and found the door numbered 20. They paused for a brief second, before knocking on the door. There was no reply, so after a couple of minutes they tried again.  
'Alright I'm coming!' A small voice from the other side of the door called back.  
Rachel and Janet looked at each other.  
The door began to open and Rachel did the usual; 'I'm DC Bailey and this is DC Scott, Manchester Metropolitan Police Major Incident Team...' She trailed off as she saw who had opened the door  
No way, this couldn't be happening - not her, not today, of all the days not today...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **  
Rachel looked at the small girl who had smiled at her in the doorway, she had instantly recognized Rachel. Rachel didn't acknowledge the smile - she just wanted to hug her, she just wanted to stand there and hug her for eternity, she couldn't bare it - how could she say what she was about to say? Janet interrupted her gaze. 'Can we come in please?' The girl nodded and moved aside, signalling to go into what was a modern and open plan kitchen/dining area.

'Sit down love' Rachel put her hand on the girls shoulder. Her face turned from warmth to panic, she had heard those three words before, those three words which had ripped apart her family, leaving her to cope with a young brother - when she was only a child herself. Janet nudged Rachel who was looking out the massive window that over looked Manchester, she could see a tear rolling down her face.

Janet turned back to the girl, 'a woman was found dead this morning at her home, and it looked as if someone had tried to asphyxiate her. At the moment we have no leads as to who could have done this, but we believe that dead woman is Nora Jones'  
Whilst Janet was saying this Rachel had turned back to face the girl, seeing the colour draining from her face at every word Janet was saying. She looked pale, she looked ill, she was as thin as anything, she had no meat on her whatsoever but she didn't look under nourished.

The girl burst out crying, she was uncontrollable, immediately Rachel got up and went to hug her, she sat back down with the girl in her arms, crying like there was no tomorrow. Rachel ignored the looks she was getting off Janet, when delivering a death message you're supposed to do your job, and not show any affection to the victims - but Rachel didn't care about that now; she was going to do exactly what she did 5 years ago, with the same girl, in the same situation. Gosh, this girl had already lost her dad, her mom had run off leaving her to cope with her brother - and now she had lost her Nan, no-one deserves this amount of life ripped away, especially not a girl whose only 18...

Rachel and Janet left the broken soul of a girl, who by now was on the phone to her brother, he must be 15 by now, Rachel thought, and she needed to catch up with Melanie privately. She grabbed the notepad on the side of the table, and scribbled a message down and her phone number then left, with a sympathetic smile behind her.

As they got back in the car Rachel was silent again, before Janet spoke up: 'so are you going to tell me what's going on? You've been acting weird all day, you were crying when we delivered the death message and you went and hugged the girl. And don't say your fine because you're not' Rachel sighed and turned to face Janet: She only said two words, but those to words made Janet freeze at the wheel, narrowly swerving and missing a bollard. They pulled into a lay-by and Janet turned to face Rachel, she was as white as a sheet; those two words were 'Melanie Robinson'.


	3. Chapter 3

They walked into a small café, ordered their drinks and sat down. They had about an hour before they were needed back in the office. Janet was holding Rachel's hands over the table; she hated seeing her friend upset especially when there was nothing she could do.  
'C'mon, talk to me Rachel; it's not like you to fall to bits over a case! Where's that tough Sherlock gone?' Rachel gave a weak smile, her eyes filling up with tears. She stuttered, 'I...I...I...well...' 'I'm sorry?' Janet said, looking confused. 'I saw how devastated that girl was when we told her, and I can't stand it happening to someone else! It happened to me and I had Alison and Dom, but this girl was left in that situation and she was 4 years younger than our Alison! And for her to lose her Nan as well! On the same day it's just...just...' Rachel stopped talking and looked up - Janet could see the anger in her eyes. Janet kept hold of her hand, offering her sympathy. She was looking more confused than ever; thought Rachel  
Rachel took a deep breath. 'It is weird though, how EXACTLY 5years later she loses someone else...it's not just a coincidence is it? Someone's targeting this family - and God knows what could happen!' Rachel stood up and went to run out the door, shouting back to Janet 'c'mon! We need to get to the office NOW!' Janet immediately stood up and followed her, and managed to grab her hand before she got in the car 'Rach wait! What are you talking about? Coincidence? Stop! That mind of yours going into overdrive!'  
'I was right about Geoff though wasn't I? That they were all linked?' Rachel shot back, and got in the car.

Janet was getting even more worried now, it was so unlike Rachel to snap back at her, yeah she got wound up but she never had a go at Janet.  
They got back to MIT in record time, partly because of Rachel's wreckless driving which made Janet think she was going to die, but they ran up the 3 flights of stairs and burst into the office. Gill stared at Rachel when she ran in, her eyes wide in disbelief when Rachel practically jumped into her chair - lifting pieces of paper all around her. She knew what she was doing - she was on a mission. A few moments later Janet comes in, looking out of breath.

Gill was curious now, she shouted for Janet to come in, and she did immediately. She sat down and let out a big breath. 'Right, ok what's going on, Sherlock's turned into superman and you look like you've ran a mile' she said in a stern but friendly tone.  
'Rachel thinks this is connected to an incident that happened 5years ago, to this day because it's the same family that have lost someone' Janet replied, quite simply  
Gill looked out of her office window and back to Janet, 'what do you mean?' Janet explained further 'the girl we went and delivered the death message to this morning, was someone who Rachel was FLO for 5years ago, when she was working in CID. It just so happens that its today that it's the anniversary of that death, and Sherlock thinks they're connected' Janet shrugged her shoulders. Gill looked out at Rachel again, and asked ' who is this girl?'  
Janet went white, again. 'Melanie Robinson'.

Gill reached out and grabbed the phone, she dialled a number and sat waiting, rolling her eyes 'this is DCI Murray MIT, can I speak to the chief con?...what do u mean? Tuesday? No it bloody well can't wait till Tuesday! Go knock on his door now!' Gill screamed down the phone, Janet couldn't help but smile. Gill continued, 'ughh, fine - tell him that there may be a development in this Nora Jones case that may have something to do with the death of Martin Robinson, 5 years ago, get him to ring me asap!' She hung up.

Janet looked at her, curious. 'So you're going to believe Sherlock this time?' With a hint of silliness. Gill replied 'well let's face it, when is she ever wrong about things like this?'  
Janet nodded and got up, she went back to her desk and checked the time - it was eleven, she invited Rachel out for a drink, (Janet didn't really want to go home yet, her and Ade had had another argument regarding the girls, and even though they were back together now, after everything with Andy last year, things were still a bit tender) but she declined - Janet knew how much this was getting to her, Rachel NEVER declined a drink, especially if someone else is buying! Janet said her goodbyes, and told her she would ring her later and then left.

The days went on and so far no leads on who had killed Nora – but Rachel was convinced it was someone relating to the death of Martin. She was getting more and more frustrated. They had gathered bits of CCTTV from around the murder scene, but it was dark and the image quality wasn't brilliant. Rachel glanced at the clock, nearly half eight. She thought she would finish early tonight, and go and visit Melanie.

It was about nine when she arrived at the estate, she ran up to the flat where she had just been this morning, and knocked on the door. Melanie answered the door, she had joggers and a loose top on, and her hair was in a messy bun. It looked as though she had been crying, but she had tried to cover it up with make-up.

Rachel gave a small smile, 'can I come in?' Melanie looked behind her, and then opened the door wide enough so Rachel could come in. Rachel could instantly smell curry, her stomach flipped at the smell. She hadn't eaten anything since midday, and even then she only had had a fruit pot and yoghurt.

'Sorry to interrupt your meal' Rachel said, as she followed her into the kitchen.  
'No its fine, I was just about to dish up...do you want some?' Rachel wanted to resist, as she didn't feel as though it was fair as Melanie looked as if she hadn't eaten in ages, but her stomach and her head told her to say yes, otherwise it could be 11pm before she had chance to get anything. 'Yes please' she said, gratefully.

Melanie smiled and went over to the cupboard, she fetched out 3 plates, and a bottle of wine. After a few moments her brother, Luke, walked out of what Rachel could only assume was his bedroom, smiled and muttered a quick hello to Rachel, then sat down. Rachel couldn't help but notice the similarities of him and Melanie, both had brown eyes, and chestnutty coloured hair. Even though Melanie was 3 years older than Luke, they seemed about the same height - and he was also as thin as a rake. He made Rachel think of her own brother, which is something she doesn't do often - he let her down, she hasn't seen him for a couple of years, because of the 'incident'.

They ate their meal around the island in the middle of the kitchen, there was an awkward silence between them and Rachel didn't know where to start, what to say. She didn't know how much Luke knew/could remember and she felt like she was stepping on eggshells.  
She broke the silence with a sigh, and 'I love your flat, it's very modern'  
Melanie looked up and smiled, 'thanks, we moved in just after my 18th birthday, as I now can work properly - instead of just having a job in the corner shop'  
She seemed to be getting more cheery.  
'Oh wow, it's very nice; you will have to give me a tour later' Rachel replied, with a glitter in her eye. 'Of course I will, it's not very big, but for the two of us it's perfect, and it was dead cheap! It came fitted with all the kitchen and appliances, so we didn't really have to buy that sort of thing, and we could bring the tele and all our personal things from our old house and move straight in' she paused, 'I just thought it was time we should try and move on, you know, from dad and that' Rachel nodded and gave a sympathetic smile.

They finished their meal and they cleared the table. Melanie told Rachel to sit down and make herself comfortable, gesturing towards the sofa. Rachel wanted to help her clear up; after all she was only 18 and had the responsibilities a mother would have but Melanie was having none of it – 'you're a guest, you relax! You've done enough for us over the years it's the least I can do!'

Rachel could see she was getting more enthusiastic, she seemed to be talking more now – coming back out of her shell. She had taken to her Nan's death quicker than her dads, but then that's expected, Rachel thought.

Luke helped tidy up, and then he went back to his room, leaving the two girls to talk alone. They both sat crossed legged on the sofa, and Melanie pulled a fleece blanket from the corner, and chucked it on Rachel. She screamed at the fact something was on her face, and Melanie begin to laugh. She went and made them a hot drink, and carried them over with some biscuits. They both got under the blanket and sat facing each other; Rachel was the first one to talk. 'So how have you been? Since you know...everything?'

'fine, I just hate how I seem to be losing everybody that cared about me, and who I cared about, everything just seems to be going wrong and I try to move on with my life and remain strong, for my sakes but for Luke's as well – because I don't want him getting into trouble, most people turn to drugs and alcohol but we've not had any of that. I just want to be able to lead as normal life as I can from now on, I just can't take any more grief!'

'How's Luke been since?' Rachel asked, she was interested but she didn't want to push her too much in case Melanie got upset. It was still a tender topic for her to talk about.

Melanie took a deep breath 'he's been ok, he hasn't really shown much emotion though, unlike me' she gave a small laugh. She wanted to change the topic, and fast before she began to cry. She knew that once she began – she wouldn't be able to stop.

Rachel sighed 'well, things are going ok, works work – early mornings aren't my thing but I should be getting used to them now! I've been a police officer for 12 years now!' Melanie laughed, and noticed an engagement ring on her finger. She held up her hand and asked 'ooh, what's this then lady?' Rachel smiled 'oh yeah, well I'm engaged, I agreed to marry my boyfriend a couple of months ago. I haven't even started planning the wedding yet though!'

They carried on gossiping for a good few hours; they had also moved off coffee and had just finished another bottle of wine. Rachel didn't realise how much Melanie drunk, but then again she was 18, and she had been though alot. It was only when Rachel checked her watch she realised the time. It was half past eleven.

Rachel groaned at the thought of work tomorrow, but then she remembered it was Saturday – which meant she had the day off. She was supposed to be going shopping for wedding books later, and she needed to clean the flat for Sean to move in.

'I suppose I'd better be off, sorry I've stayed so long! I didn't realise the time!' Rachel said, apologetically. 'No honestly it's fine; it's been nice talking to someone! I've really enjoyed this evening, thank you for coming' Melanie replied. Rachel was glad she seemed better. She looked more cheerful.

They said their goodbyes at the door, and Rachel told her to contact her if she needed anything. Melanie was grateful for the support. She liked Rachel, even though she was 15 years older than her, she seemed to understand her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Another long day in the office, they were in at 7, and probably wouldn't be out for another 15hours. Rachel sat opposite Janet, who was already busy concentrating on preparing an interview. Last night, they had arrested someone on suspicion of murder. White, 46 year old male, Robert Thompson. He was seen driving past the corner shop, about 5 minutes away from where Nora Jones had lived, at 2:49am, then again driving away from the house at 3:05am. He was prime suspect, and as Rachel thought of it, the only suspect.  
By the time Janet was ready for the interview, it was quarter to eight. They headed down to the interview room, whilst Gill and Lee went to the Video room - and the long process began. Gill had given them strict orders, and Rachel wanted to squeeze every last drop of information out of him for Melanie's sake more than anything.  
'Ok Rob, I have to tell you that you have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Nora Jones, this interview is being video recorded and may be shown to a Jury should we get that far... so can you tell me where you were between 2am and 4am, Monday morning?' Janet's tone was calm, but stern.  
'Nowhere'  
'what were you doing at this time?'  
'Nothing'  
'Rob, we have CCTV footage of you, in a red ford focus, driving near the victims house at a time that fits, the death of Nora, what can you tell me about that?'  
'No comment'  
'where were you going?'  
'No comment'  
Rachel hated those that did this. It's so frustrating. You know they know something because let's face it, if you've got nothing to hide, then why don't you say where you were? By saying 'no comment' isn't going to help you when you're up in court being cross-examined by barristers who will nail you to the walls.  
They were able to take a break after an hours interviewing, they weren't getting very far, but then that is what normally happened with a case this high profile. They just had to keep at it, keep persistent and eventually it will wear them down. It just takes patience.  
Rachel was miffed when Gill said Janet was going to do the interview, but she knew it was for the best because Rachel would probably end up strangling him. She was never very good at the patience thing; Janet on the other hand had loads of patience, and very rarely got angry. She was so much more mature than Rachel was, ok she was 15 years older than her, but Rachel couldn't imagine Janet being as bad as Rachel is now. It just wouldn't be Janet.The interview went on and on. They were just going around in circles. Everyone was convinced that it was him; they just needed enough evidence and maybe even a confession.

Gill got a call, and went outside to answer it, when she saw Chris's name pop up on the screen. She smiled to herself. She had been seeing him for over a year now, and despite everyone joking about him with her, she really cared about him. He was more than just a 'toyboy'. She cared about him alot, and he cared about her. He is great with Sammy, and is always there. 'Hi you', she answered gently, just hearing his voice made her calmer. She was deep in conversation with him, whispering at some points to avoid the likes of Kevin hearing what she was saying, when he burst through the door. 'Sorry Boss, but he's started talking, well he's making progress. Come quick!' 'Ch- love, I've got to go, duty calls! Ill phone you later yeah? Bye' she had to be careful – no-one apart from Janet, Julie and possibly Rachel and Andy knew WHO she was seeing. Everyone in MIT knew she was seeing someone, but so far they had managed to keep it a secret. Even from Captain Underpants. She knew she would be the office gossip for years if anyone found out, especially Kevin.

Back in the video room, Gill tuned straight back into the interview.

'So, Rob, when we asked you where you were Monday night, and you said you were at home, that wasn't true, was it?' 'no.' Rob muffled a grunt. 'Right, so – where were you?' 'It wasn't my idea, honest. He promised he would pay me, lying scumbag. He promised he would give me enough money to pay off my debts. But he lied; he just wanted me to do his dirty work for him. He didn't feel sorry that I had lost all my money and possessions in that accident, he didn't care. It was all about him and it always has been...' Rob trailed off, he realised how much he had said, and both Janet and Rachel had picked up on the fact he was scared of this 'unknown' person. 'Who? Who are you frightened of Rob? Can I just remind you that if you do get charged with murder, it will be you standing in that dock, in court not him! So if you have any information that could help you or us, I would advise you to give us the side of your story. What are you frightened of? We can protect you; whatever information you give us we can make sure it's strictly confidential... c'mon! I think, you do know what happened that night, and who is causing his harm to innocent people, and ruining innocent families lives.'

Rob took a deep breath: 'his names James Williams'


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**  
They spent the rest of the week looking for James, Rachel was determined to find him, but Janet wasn't too sure they would, they had his name, they checked out all the James Williams in their force area, and in the surrounding four force areas and still nothing. He'd probably worked out he was up to his neck in it, so was probably staying well clear.  
Gill knew that if they didn't find him soon, the review team would be coming in again, which meant she would have to be up against Dirty Dave. It was normal in a case this high profile, and the Chief Con often sent them in for a back-up and extra support, but Gill knew Dave would use it to his advantage and try to make her look bad.

A few weeks had passed, the review team had been and gone, and although Dave had sent someone from the NPIA, Gill was feeling confident, as it was Chris.  
They had been together for about a year now, they had met in her office, when he came to help with the Lynn Stott murder, and had witnessed how good Gill's MIT was, and how much Gill cared about the personal well-being of her officers. He knew Dave only bought the NPIA in the make Gill look bad, but it was also one of the better decisions he had made, otherwise Chris would never have met Gill.

'Right everyone, go home, get your heads down, let's kick it off at 8:00 tomorrow morning...You're doing well, all of you! We've just got to find a link...a key its ju- why would you defend someone you knew had killed an innocent woman? I mean, it's not like Rob's trying to protect him, is it?' 'No not in the slightest' Janet replied simply. 'What has James got over him? Rob only did what he did for money, and because he's probably got more teeth than he has brain cells' Gill continued, ignoring the smirks and hysterical looks Kevin was giving everyone.

Kevin. What an idiot. He has always been 'below average' in everything he does, in all fairness he tries his best, but how he got into an MIT unit is beyond all those that care. Gill took him on to try and prove to Julie she could turn him around, but after several attempts, she's just left him to his own devices.

Gill dismissed the team, running ahead to her office where the office telephone was ringing. She picked it up; 'DCI Gill Murray' she spoke, whilst waving out of the window to everyone as they shuffled about their desks. 'Mm hmm, yep, ok, ok thank you! Mm hmm, thanks, ta-ta now' she put the phone down and ran into the open plan office, a massive grin wiping across her face. Even though they had been dismissed, the team turned to look at their boss, all with curious looks on their faces, all apart from Kevin, who was tossing a pen up and down as if it were a fishing rod. Gill gave him a death stare, and he soon stopped, forgetting to catch the pen in the process, so it ended up flying across the room to Rachel's desk, who jumped when the pen hit her, much to the amusement of Kevin.

Gill waited for the team to settle again, before announcing her news; 'that was CID in Euston, British Transport police stop checked a car that was thought of soliciting' after a few awkward glances between Janet and Rachel, then Rachel and Kev, who, as usual looked at Pete to explain to him. Andy spoke for them; 'Euston?' Gill replied 'Euston...James Williams...they PNC'ed him, saw we had circulated him as wanted, so North London are getting a couple of night crew to drive up with him'

Everyone in MIT threw their hands up, and high fived each other. They had finally got him. They could finally begin to piece together what happened to Nora.

The next few days went fast, James had been brought in, questioned and was talking. He had confessed to the murder, but not to why he had done it. Janet was the interviewer, and Rachel went with her to make notes and listen for any details Janet may miss. She still didn't understand him, why would you confess to the murder but not why you did it? What sort of frame of mind must you be in to think like that? Well, considering he's involved with murdering people, not a very good one she thought.

'Ok, so James would you like to tell me why you killed Nora Jones?' Janet began the third day of interviewing. James just sighed; he'd heard it all before. 'Why did you kill an innocent lady, who owed nothing to you, and didn't know you?' Janet persisted. She knew they were wearing him down. It was only a matter of time before he would confess; she just had to keep at it – however hard it would be. She must do it for Nora, for Melanie and for Rachel.

Rachel, bless her, heart of gold, she hasn't stopped worrying about Melanie since the investigation began. She wasn't so sure as to why Rachel was so attached to Melanie, she had been working as a police officer for over 10 years now, and has been FLO on a lot of cases, so why was this so important? Maybe it was because of her age? Maybe it was because of her situation? Janet was unsure; she shook her head, and put her thoughts to the back of her mind whilst she focused on the interview.

'James, I'm going to ask you that question again...why did you murder Nora Jones?' Janet was getting more and more frustrated, she didn't see why Gill wanted this sort of information out of him, they had the confession, surely that would have been enough?

'Uh-huu, I s'pose you're going to get it out of me anyway, you never give up do you? You coppers.' He spat the last word out. His attitude was starting to annoy Rachel, if they were on the streets, she'd have given him a piece of her mind - but under strict instructions by Gill, and a section of the criminal justice code, she "couldn't show any behaviour of any sort to a suspect, treat the interview like a conversation and they will talk" that had been drummed into her when she first started her training, and again when she took her tier 3 exam.

'So...What happened?' Janet kept going. 'I couldn't stand seeing my girl hurt, that Bitch wasn't letting her do anything! She's not her mom, my girl is, and she wasn't having any of it! She was persistent to keep my babe away from them. She said hurtful things, how she was never a good mother, how she didn't deserve such beautiful children, I couldn't stand it. I thought I'd teach that bitch a lesson' James spoke, showing no emotion. Janet looked at her notebook, then to Rachel, then back to her notebook, she was confused, all these questions buzzing around her head, who is 'his girl'? What was going on?

'So James, who is 'your girl'?' Janet needed to find out so she could piece together what he had just said. James replied, hesitant at first, whether he should or not, but in the end he gave in... 'Sarah Robinson'.

Janet's face dropped in shock, Rachel looked like she wanted to rip his head off...in the video room, Lee let out a gasp and sat back, and Gill put her head in her hands and whispered 'Bloody Hell'. The atmosphere in both the interview room and the video room became so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Janet's eyes were wide open, she looked down at her papers in disbelief, did she hear right? Did he really just confess to killing Nora because she wouldn't let Sarah see or contact Melanie and Luke? The children SHE abandoned when they were little, so she could run off with her fancy man, who wasn't exactly eating Gold and riding a flying pony? What frames of mind are these loony bins actually in? To think like this? How does James make out Sarah is the innocent one? Janet began to feel sick, she needed a break. She looked to Rachel, who seemed to be in her own little world, and then she looked at the Camera, signalling to Gill and Lee in the video room that she was coming out. 'Ok James, we're going to take a short break now, thanks' she practically ran out of the room, Rachel following close behind.

Rachel went with Janet to the toilet, she said everything was getting a bit on top of her, and she just needed a breather, so Gill gave them half an hour's break whilst she raced back into her office to find Andy. 'Andy, can we find a Sarah Robinson please, she's cropped up as someone we need to TIE.' 'Yes of course ma'am...' Andy gave a brief pause, '...where have I heard that name before? I'm sure it's someone we've come across' Gill sighed, and looked towards Kevin, who was doing something on the computer, probably nothing to do with what he was supposed to be doing. 'Well, I suppose you're going to find out anyway... Sarah Robinson is the mother of Melanie and Luke, the grandchildren of Nora, this makes her their mother. Nora was Sarah's mother – in – law, well, until the dad died and Sarah ran off.'

Janet and Rachel came back to join the team in the office. Even Kevin had come away from his computer to listen into what Gill was saying. They were all gathered around her, Andy making notes, Kevin staring at his feet, Pete eating what looked like a cheese and onion sandwich, Mitch was making coffee for everyone, Janet was searching in her bag for her mobile phone and Rachel was raiding the fridge, for her mouldy elevenses bar.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this chapter's not very long, its not very good either! haven't had much time to update it! the next chapter will be a little longer i think, this is the last but one im going to write for this story, becasue well i cant think of anything else to happen! **

**please Review it!**

**Chapter 6: **

It was now a Thursday, it had been three weeks since Nora had been murdered, and James was safely locked up in Her Majesty's Pleasure. Sarah had been bought in for interviewing, and was also arrested for assisting an offender and perverting the cause of justice. Even though she claimed she had nothing to do with it, and she knew nothing of it or who had done it until it was announced on the news, evidence on the mobile phones prove that differently. The message read; _**"all set for tonight? That bitch is gonna get the shock of her life, serves her right, mad cow x".**_ It even made Gill sick when she read it, and she's the strongest out of the team – no matter what condition the bodies in she never feels ill, or gets squeamish at blood, but this hit her right in the centre.

Janet had a bad reaction to what had happened in the interview with James, it had knocked her sick. Gill decided it would be better if she wasn't the one to interview Sarah, so she gave the job to Kevin, who at 8:45am went into the interview room, along with Mitch, who was making notes.

'so, Sarah, I have to tell you that you have been arrested on suspicion of assisting and offender and perverting the cause of justice, before we start, I must tell you that this interview is been recorded, and anything you do say will be used as evidence. Is that clear?'

'Yep'

'Ok, so can you tell me what you know about the murder of Nora Jones?'

'Nothing'

'Where were you when this was happening?'

'At home'

'Where was James?'

'With me'

'We have evidence that that's not true, for a start he's confessed to killing her, so he couldn't have been at home, could he?'

'Suppose not'

'So, I'll ask you again, what do you know about the murder of Nora Jones?'

'Finee... I was sick and fed up of her keep butting in, they're my children, and I should have more rights than she should to them! She should have kept her nose out, they're my children, I know what's best for them and she was having any of it. I've warned her, that I would do whatever I could to gain access to them, but she said that she would take me to court, and bring up the fact I left them... and even if I did win the court case Melanie's 18 now so she has the right to choose whether she wants to see me.'

'Ok...anything else you want to add?'

'Nora kept saying that Melanie is now Luke's guardian, because she's 18, and that she would need to give her consent if I were to meet up with them, but that's rubbish right? Cos I'm like, their mother so I should be able to see them when I wanna! You gemme?'

Gill smiled at the video screen, Kevin looked bemused, all Gill could think though was; what was this woman on? How could she abandon her children when they were young, then come back 5 years later and think she still has full custody and rights to them? Paha, that's ridiculous! But what's Nora got to do with any of this? Like she said, during a court case, she wouldn't have a say, because it's up to Melanie to decide who sees them. There was a definite screw loose in this woman, in both her and James to be honest. They made Kevin look like Albert Einstein.

'Ok, so why did James kill Nora?' Kevin persisted with the interview, despite his lack of intelligence into the conversation.

'With her out of the way, I could see my children again. She was so spiteful, putting words into Melanie's mouth, making her cancel my phone calls when I tried ringing, saying she was busy when I wanted to meet with them, that's not Melanie talking, it's that cow. She's got no right has she? I thought she deserved it, messing with people's lives just because she's got no life of her won, thinking there would be no consequences. James offered to do that for me, getting her out of my children's lives would benefit everyone.' Sarah slumped back into her seat. She knew she had said too much, but that was exactly what the team needed. A confession. The best result in any case.

Back in the briefing room, an hour after the interview with Sarah, Gill began to close the case; 'right, listen up! After Sarah's confession, we have now got enough evidence to charge both James Williams and Sarah Robinson with the murder of Nora Jones, and Rob Thompson with the attempted murder of Nora Jones.'

'Yessss' a sigh of relief throughout the team was heard, they had done it! They had solved the murder of Nora Jones, Rachel was extremely happy, she knew now she could tell Melanie about it, and she could try and move on, again, with her life. She knew they wouldn't be causing her or Luke anymore bother for a long, long time. Sarah would get at least 15 years for assisting an offender, James would get up to 30 years for the murder, and Rob would get about 7years for attempted murder.


	7. Chapter 7

**OK this is the last chapter of this story now, to be honest i was getting a bit bored of writing it, and i didnt know how i could keep it alive, and keep you guys reading it alive.**

**Thanky****ou to all the amazing reviews that you have posted, they made me smile when i read them;') **

**well, this story had to come to an end, and well, because i'm a sucker for a good ending;D **

**hope you enjoy this! wasnt sure where i was going with it but hopefully you will think of it as a nice ending:) **

**last thing;) , sorry for the long a/n but yeaah, please read and review this!**

**Here we go!**

**Chapter 7:**

They had all arranged to go out that evening, to celebrate the closing of the case, and the fact that it was Kevin's birthday. 'You'd kept that one quiet Kev!' Rachel had said when she had found out, 'afraid we were going to buy you a Spiderman toy and a Thomas the Tank engine card?' 'Oh haha Rachel, aren't you the funny one' he had replied, he knew how much they loved taking the mick out of him, and since Rachel had joined MIT his mental age had improved quite a lot.

They were going to go to go to the posh restaurant, on the other side of Chadderton for a meal, then they were going to go to the Bridge Water tower, Level 27 for drinks. There were a few going, Gill and Chris, Janet, Rachel and Sean, Andy, Pete, Mitch, Kevin and Lee.

Gill had dismissed them at 4:00pm today; it was the earliest they had got out in weeks, they were going to each go home and freshen up, then they were meeting at the restaurant for 7:00. They all left the briefing room and went to get their coats. Rachel was the first to leave the office. She was going to go and see Melanie, and give her the low-down on what had happened. She had text her throughout the investigation, and had spoken to her on the phone at the weekend but hadn't seen her since the night she went for tea.

Rachel turned up outside Melanie's flat, ran up the stairs and knocked on the door. Luke answered it. 'Hi Luke, is Melanie in?' Rachel spoke. 'Yeah, she's just in her room, ironing I think' Luke replied, gesturing towards the living room for Rachel to sit down. 'Melanie! Rachel's here to see you!' Luke shouted towards the bedroom. He smiled back to Rachel, 'would you like a drink?' 'Yes please' Rachel smiled 'could I just have some water?' 'Yeah sure' Luke said, as he went over to the cupboard. 'You're looking very smart tonight!' Rachel complimented, 'Going anywhere nice?' 'Umm yeah, just out with some mates' 'oh cool, hiya!' Rachel said as Melanie came out of her bedroom. Rachel got up and gave her a hug 'how are you?' 'I'm ok thanks how are you?' 'I'm good thanks' Rachel replied.

At that moment the doorbell went. 'That's for me I think, id best be off, we are going go karting! Nice to see you Rachel!' Luke said as she kissed Melanie goodbye and put on his coat. Then went to answer the door. Rachel could hear the muttering of some of his mates outside the door. Rachel smiled back at Melanie. 'Ok, well I've just come to tell you, that we have finished the case on your Nan...' Melanie took a deep breath and sat down 'go on...'

Rachel replied, 'we have arrested and charged three people, one with the attempted murder, one with the murder itself and one was assisting an offender. I'm so sorry to tell you this but, it was your mum, and her fiancé, who had tried to pay someone to do it for them, but when they refused, her fiancé, did it himself. I'm so, so sorry' Rachel placed a sympathetic hand on top of Melanie's.

Melanie gave a weak smile, 'it's fine. I'll be fine. I think I've grieved enough. It not come as a surprise, my mother's always had a screw loose. It's in the past now. I hate her even more, but I've got to move on, because deep down, I know if I'm upset or depressed for much longer, my mom will have got what she wanted... so, I'm going to move on, and not think about it! But thank you Rachel, thank you so much, for everything you've ever done for me and Luke I really mean it. I'm so grateful'

Rachel could feel herself welling up, she was overjoyed that she was able to help someone, and she felt quite proud. She then had an idea. 'You know what? You should come out with us tonight! Me and my work mates and my fiancé are going out for a meal to celebrate solving this murder, you should definitely come! It will do you good! And you can meet everyone! It's better than you being stuck in all night by yourself!' Melanie looked unsure, 'are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your life or anything?' 'No! No! Its fine! You should come! Let your hair down! C'mon, you deserve it; after all you've been through! We are meeting at 7:00, at that posh restaurant the other side of Chadderton, the one by the Bridge Water Tower?' 'Oh yeah, I know the one! Umm, ok sure I'll come! It will do me good' Melanie replied, a massive smile wiping across her face. 'Ok, well I'd better go and freshen up! See you in an hour then!' Rachel said, as she stood up and walked towards the door. She gave Melanie a quick hug and then shut the door behind her, running down the stairs and out towards her car.

She got home and shouted at Sean to get out of the bathroom. 'C'mon Sean it's my turn now! We are going out in an hour and I need to shower! Hurry up!' she ran into her room and fetched out her best dress, black heels and cardigan. She set her jewellery out on the side, sliding her engagement ring off her finger so she could go in the shower.

Sean came out of the bathroom, he was fully dressed, he was in a lovely shirt and Rachel recognised the shoes she had brought him for his last birthday. 'Aw, you look lovely!' she said, in return he gave her a twirl and she started laughing. 'Didn't you want to use the shower?' he said, 'oh yeah!' she said, as she ran into the bathroom.

Forty-five minutes later, they had arrived at the restaurant, everyone else was already there, everybody apart from Melanie. They sat down and ordered their drinks, when Rachel got a text _**'Ok, I'm here, where are you? I'm by the entrance x' **_Rachel replied quickly, _**'come around the corner, the other side of the buffet, we are there – I've already ordered you a drink, tonight's on me x' **_

Rachel looked up from her phone, and followed everyone's gaze as they looked across the restaurant. Kevin's mouth dropped and he went 'woahh'. Even Rachel couldn't believe it, Melanie looked beautiful. She had a lovely white lacey ¾ sleeved dress on, with white heels and a shawl. She had curled her hair and had done her eye make-up lovely.

Rachel stood up and went over to her 'you look amazing' she said, giving her a quick hug. Melanie said hello to everyone as Rachel introduced her, and Janet and Gill got up and gave her a hug. She sat down next to Rachel; Kevin still had his mouth open a little. Gill coughed at him, and told him to stop catching flies, much to the amusement of everyone else, and he slumped back into his seat, embarrassed, muttering something about how it was his birthday so everyone was supposed to be nice to him.

They all had a lovely evening, and most of them got drunk after leaving the restaurant and going to Level 27. As they slurred their goodbyes, and got in taxis, Melanie came over to Rachel, and took her aside 'thank you again Rachel for everything, and for tonight. You were right; I had a fabulous time, even with Kevin looking at me' she gave a drunken giggle. Rachel laughed with her, 'it was my pleasure, keep in touch yeah? We will meet up again – soon. I can fill you in on wedding arrangements' Rachel said, giving her a nudge. 'Yeah defo, it's a start if something new now, fresh start. Goodnight Rachel' Melanie said. 'Goodnight Mel' she replied, giving her a hug and walking back towards Sean who had now flagged down a taxi.

'A start of something new' she thought as she got into the cab, 'A start of something new indeed...'

**The End - please Review!**


End file.
